What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Page 122

But Connie, who instinctively hid behind him, couldn't help but gently tug at his sleeve and whisper, "Uncle, it's raining outside the barrier now..."

"...At this moment, the reality doesn't matter. What's important is to change the subject!" Ash looked back with a feeling of disappointment and whispered a word of advice before turning back to the girl who was sitting motionless, hugging her knees.

Before she could say anything more, Frillie, with a headache-inducing expression, spoke first: "Don't you even have a little guess how many times I've heard this from you?"

"...Really? Are there a lot?"

"I'm so tired of hearing it."

"I'm so sorry... I'll think of something better next time, but it's getting late, so I guess I should go back to sleep!"

"Think of something better? Why do I need something better? Isn't this a successful way to change the subject? As long as I get criticized, that's a success!" He said this calmly, then planned to bypass the onlooker Frilian and head towards the forest.

Connie lowered his head, avoiding Frillie's eyes, subtly using his shield to escape the gaze that seemed to burn her, but...

"I said, normally at this point, shouldn't you be asking me when I started watching?"

The two hadn't gone far when Frilian's voice suddenly came from behind, causing Ash to stop involuntarily: "Still not working? But... when did you appear?"

"initial."

"Ha, ha?"

"Don't you know? I mean, I saw it from beginning to end."

"—Then hurry up and say something!" He finally couldn't help but turn around abruptly, glaring at Frilian behind him.

Freylan simply tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up as if she were silently asking: Is it really okay to talk to me like this now?

After understanding this, his momentum instantly vanished, and he couldn't help but sigh: "...What do you want to do? Just say it."

"The exams are over, and I want to eat something delicious. You have to treat me to a big meal, plus three servings of Mercury pudding."

"...I understand, I'll go..."

“Very good, then…” Frillian stood up with satisfaction, patted her bottom, and looked at Connecticut again, solemnly reminding him:

“Generally speaking, showing your belly is a sign of submission or an invitation to interact with your master. But if you do this... Ash will definitely treat you like an interesting pet.”

"No, no, no, I won't! Connie is Philon's friend, I wouldn't do anything reckless!"

"...So you're saying you've been messing around with the girls we've watched grow up, and even taken care of their bellies along the way? Doesn't that count as indecent behavior?"

"...The prefix is ​​a bit long."

"Do you have anything to say in your defense? Or are there any thoughts or feelings?"

"Hmm...it sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?"

Some complicated relationships made Connie's identity somewhat special, causing him to unconsciously stroke his chin and tentatively express his thoughts.

Without a word, Frilian turned and headed towards the forest: "I'll go back and talk to Philon."

"Wait a minute! Don't tattle on me for no reason! I was just joking! I'm not that kind of weird person!"

Fearing for his reputation, he quickly grabbed Frillie's shoulder and pleaded with her for a while before finally bribing her with three extra desserts and drinks to keep her secret.

This scene, witnessed by Connie, couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Uncle...you're surprisingly interesting~"

"...Where?!"

"A strange place... isn't it?"

Connie fiddled with the end of his hair by his ear, a knowing smile on his face, and quickly overtook them, crossing the forest and returning to their camp.

But Frillie had a strange expression on her face at that moment: "I said..."

"what happened again?"

"Could it be that she dislikes you but is too embarrassed to admit it and is just putting on a brave face?"

"??? Although what Connie said is quite strange, but..." Ash rubbed his throbbing temples, revealing an expression of suppressed headache, and said incredulously, "...How did you come to this conclusion?"

"No one normally likes having an older man touch their belly. That child must have been feeling quite aggrieved. You'll have to apologize to her properly later..."

She had just given her answer and a word of advice when she looked puzzled and pondered, "However, I feel like although she wasn't very willing, she didn't seem to be in that much pain either? That doesn't make sense logically."

"Um...may I ask you, what is your common sense?"

"It's just common sense, what else could it be?"

Frillie gave him a look of annoyance at his slowness, and continued talking to him as they temporarily returned to their camp together...

It was obvious that because they had spent so much time together and, like Ash, lacked a sense of urgency about the on-site exam, she subconsciously still regarded Ash as one of her own.

Ash really didn't want to complain about this guy's grasp of human nature, because... even if he understood, it was probably just simple embarrassment.

...If he really is an older man, the situation would probably be as Frilian described, but in appearance he would at least look like a teenager.

Humans subconsciously believe what they see in front of them and unconsciously ignore the actual situation—just like his fondness for Luzanze.

Although he is not human, he once was, so this should be a commonality.

..............................

..............................

Back at her campsite, Connie couldn't help but think about Ash's relationship with her friend Philon, and all sorts of strange emotions kept her awake all night.

After all, her friend's guardian looked to be only two years younger than her, but their relationship... normally they shouldn't be doing that kind of thing, and she shouldn't have made that kind of suggestion either, but...

"...I still did it! I even suggested it myself...! What did I do?! How am I ever going to face Philon after this?!"

In his chaotic thoughts, Connie couldn't resist giving his sleeping best friend Rabindranath a headbutt, which rudely woke him up.

"Connie...! What on earth is he doing?!"

While sound asleep, he was unjustly struck hard, waking Rabindranath from his sleep. He sat up in shock and anger.

So when Ash and Frilian returned, the two of them were wrestling on the ground.

"..." Frillie had a strange, numb expression on her face, but as usual, she didn't say anything. She silently lay down to the side, turned her back, and fell asleep on her own.

Ash shook his head and smiled as he flipped through a book under the moonlight... He also ignored the two girls who had been fighting since childhood, yet whose friendship inexplicably grew stronger with each fight.

And so, the slightly noisy night gradually passed amidst the hustle and bustle.

The next morning.

After taking out toiletries from their personal storage space and quickly tidying themselves up, the girls ate the grilled fish they had caught in the river. Then they began discussing strategies for capturing the meteorite bird, but...

Rabine, whose brow had been furrowed ever since she woke up, finally couldn't hold back any longer. She pointed her finger at his nose and shouted excitedly:

"—I felt something was very strange when I woke up this morning! Why are you here too? And why did you all blend in with us so casually? And why didn't you react at all? It's like you all accepted that this guy from another team was eavesdropping on our plans?!"

"Well, well... Rabine, calm down. The old man isn't actually that bad. He just listened for a bit, so it's probably not that bad... I guess? Is that right?" Connie explained halfway through, gesturing with his hands, but then looked at Ash with some uncertainty, confirming the situation with him.

"...Why are you asking about him personally?" Frillian sighed with a hint of helplessness. "But this guy really didn't need to do that kind of thing."

“Really? Then let’s put this aside for now…” The two men’s words of support made Rabinhee hesitate for a moment, then she stared at her best friend suspiciously: “…Connie, what happened between you and this old man yesterday? Why did your attitude towards him change so much?”

"W-what happened? Nothing!" Connie jumped up from his seat as if his hair had stood on end, his face flushed and his hands waving nervously. "Really...really! Nothing happened!"

"...So something really happened?" The overly obvious action made Rabine turn her head suspiciously to stare at Ash: "Tell me yourself, what exactly did you do?"

"...Speaking of which, I should probably go find the Meteorite Bird soon. You guys talk first, I'll go ahead."

Ash silently stood up and, without making a sound, quickly left the scene under the girl's gaze.

After all, even the person who accepted the invitation would find it difficult to tell others that he... groped Connie's stomach, and Connie couldn't say the same thing either.

Even though Rabindranath's gaze was making her uncomfortable, she could only pretend that she hadn't noticed anything and lower her head to look thoughtful.

...............................

After temporarily leaving the scene, Ash didn't regret stroking Connecticut's belly for a moment, but... as he strolled through the woods, he absentmindedly read a book, muttering to himself in annoyance:

"Should we try to catch one, or steal one? But not having a birdcage is definitely going to be a problem, as expected..."

"what....!"

Before he could finish speaking, a somewhat familiar exclamation came from the side.

Subconsciously turning his head, he saw the girl with the side ponytail, Yubel, standing at the entrance of a cave, holding a birdcage containing a meteorite bird.

This made him mutter to himself, "...It's like meat being offered to him."

"Ha, haha..." Yubel chuckled awkwardly, inwardly lamenting his perpetual bad luck, and tentatively suggested, "Could you... just pretend you didn't see me?"

"I think it's a bit difficult, or could you give me a reason not to take it?"

"...Don't you have a Meteorite Bird? Was it stolen? Just take it back, won't you?"

"No, you might not believe it, but I forgot to close the door when I was playing with it, and it ran away."

"Huh?" Yubel looked completely bewildered: "...Play?"

She really couldn't understand what was so fun about that thing, and why it could be taken out of the cage and played with.

"Wrong, it was during the transaction." He corrected himself, slightly annoyed, but then looked at the birdcage in Yubel's hand and said with a puzzled expression:

"In short, I don't have any birds right now. Could you please give them to me honestly, or give me a reason not to take them? After all, it would hurt me to take them."

"Will Philon be angry?"